Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
November 14, 2015

The near-simultaneous attacks in Paris that killed at least 128 people were an “act of war” organised by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, French President Francois Hollande says.

He said the attacks, carried out by eight gunmen and suicide bombers, were “organised and planned from outside”.
The targets included bars, restaurants, a concert and a high-profile football match. IS claimed the attacks.
Hollande has declared three days of national mourning.
He raised the security threat level to its highest point and imposed a nationwide state of emergency. Hospital officials now put the number of injured at 300. Eighty are in a critical condition.
These are the deadliest attacks in peacetime France, and only the fourth time since WW2 that a state of emergency has been imposed. The last time was during a 2005 wave of riots in poor suburbs.
It is the worst atrocity in Europe since the 2004 Madrid bombings.